Strong Enough
by whyharroder
Summary: Sakura and her team leave the village in a desperate attempt to find Sasuke. They struggle, but are somehow getting closer to one another on the journey. Sakura is confused on who she does love, and who she should love. Can she figure it out? SAKUxWHO?
1. Goodbye Konoha

**Here is my NEW story(: I hope everybody likes it! Hahah OH! And if you read my SasuSaku story and are wondering when I am going to update, I REALLLLY SORRY. Its really hard to write, and Im a procrastinator, but Ive been working on it… So, ON WITH MY TALE!**

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It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. I thought... that the two of us... were stronger.

I was so... wrong.

It had been 3 years since Sasuke and Naruto left. THREE. That's a long time. I was all alone. They both left me. Alone. That's why I trained with Lady Tsunade. She took me in as her own. I started getting closer to her, and I drifted farther away from my real family. They just didn't understand. In fact, my mother mocked me for still loving Sasuke.

So, I moved in with Tsunade. She was never home, because of Hokage duties, so I basically had the apartment to myself. When Naruto came back, you could definitely tell that he had matured, in all sorts of ways, if yah know what I mean. I couldn't believe it, but Naruto was actually… hot. If he knew I thought that, he would freak. Pretty soon, everything went back to normal. I trained with Lady Tsunade, as well as Naruto, Kakashi, and our new member Sai.

But, when we heard that Sasuke had defeated Orochimaru, we thought that he would come home. He never did. That's why we wanted to take action and bring him home ourselves. We couldn't just waste our time, waiting for him to come on his own. No, we would have to force him.

"Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto yelled. "That's not fair!"

"Calm down, Naruto. This wasn't my decision." Tsunade backfired

"Then whose decision was it? Who won't let us go?!" I retorted. I wouldn't usually disrespect Tsunade, but this situation counted on it.

"Danzo and the elders. They don't want the Kyuubi leaving the village." She sighed.

"Crap." We mumbled. There was a long pause before Tsunade finally spoke.

"I know, but there is still one thing that you two can do."

"What?!?" we shouted in unison.

"This is risky, but if you succeed, you just might be let back in. I'm saying that the two of you should-"

"leave the village to find him." I finished.

"Yes… That is the only way."

"What do you mean by 'you just might be let back in'?" Naruto questioned.

Tsunade sighed, "If you decide to leave, then you will be classified as rogue-ninja. Just like Sasuke, and the Akatsuki. The elders won't like that very much."

This was all too much. I couldn't take it anymore. "I'll do it," I stated. The warm tears began to pour out of me. However, I didn't make a sound.

"Sakura-chan…" he started. Naruto walked over to me, and pulled me into a tight embrace. "I'll do it too." I could feel the vibration from the lips atop of my head.

"Naruto… Sakura… You cannot do it alone. You'll be killed if you do." Tsunade said, sounding formal. "You need a full team. Pick only who you trust the most."

"We understand," Naruto said for the both of us.

* * *

It had been a week since then, and I knew who we needed: Kakashi and Sai.

"Are you crazy Sakura-chan? Sai? Of all people, Sai!?"

"I know, Naruto. I know. It may sound crazy but-"

"May?" he interrupted.

"Fine. It's crazy, but I think we can trust him. Plus, we've been training with him for a while." I said reassuringly.

"Why him? And you _think_ you can trust him? What the hell does that mean?"

"Okay, Okay. Just here me out," Naruto raised his eyebrows; "You, Kakashi, and I are all close-range fighters. Sai is mostly a distance fighter. This-"

"So? That's about all you have on him, isn't it?" he interrupted.

"I said here me out." He was silent. "Good, Sai can also make those rats that search. That will help us in finding Sasuke. Plus, we can ride on his birds to make it faster." Naruto grunted, clearly annoyed that I was making a point.

"What about Danzo?" he smirked.

"Tsunade-sama has already lifted the jutsu from Sai. She did it when he first became a part of our team."

"Whaa?"

"I know, but we can trust him. Believe me." I persuaded.

"......... Fine." He murmured.

"What? I couldn't hear you?" I mocked. It was always tease Naruto. He always played into my traps.

"I said.. FINE!" he shouted. I smiled. I liked this Naruto. The playful, childish Naruto. It was a relief to see he hasn't fully matured yet.

* * *

Finally. We were going to do it.

Naruto and I had finally managed to get Kakashi to go along with it. He was so stubborn. I mean honestly! We thought that a sensei would WANT to get one of his only three students back. It took a week to get him to agree. A FREAKING WEEK!

Sai, on the other hand, was easy. He still wanted to learn about our "bonds" with Sasuke, so he agreed. He is always so clueless when it came to people. I felt bad for him. Maybe that's why I **really **wanted to take him along. We were the only people who cared about him. Well, some-what, in Naruto's and Kakashi's case.

At least it was time. We knew we wouldn't be able to get out on our own; Lady Tsunade assigned us a B-Rank mission to escort a feudal lord. (He was a made up lord, of course.)

"Be careful. Sasuke has probably grown very strong if he was able to defeat Orochimaru. Kakashi will be the captain of this "mission" and Sakura," she looked at me, "You're the back-up. I want you **all **to come home safely. If you have an extra team-member when you return, that is fine too." She chuckled. It was a bitter-sweet goodbye. I wanted to find Sasuke, but I didn't want to see Tsunade worry. I knew, though, that she would worry about us no matter what I said.

I couldn't hold back the tears any longer, so I attacked Tsunade in a strong hug. With my strength, it's a surprise I didn't suffocate her.

"Calm down Sakura, my girl. It will be alright. I will always be here for you." She consoled.

"Tsunade, you're making it worse." I joked. When I was calm enough to speak, I said, "I love you, haha**1**."

This made her tear up. "Sakura, I am glad you think of me like that. I know you'll come back, and when you do, I'll fight the elders with all my life if they don't let you back in. Make me proud, musume yo**2**." I let go of her, ready to leave. Everyone else said their goodbyes, but Tsunade made Kakashi stay a minute.

I eavesdropped on their conversation. A skill Tsunade had taught me.

"Kakashi, take care of Sakura. I am afraid that if her heart is damaged any further, it will be untreatable. I am asking you this, not only as your Hokage, but as a mother, so to speak. Take care of Naruto as well. He has a strong will, but this is his last chance." Tsunade said.

"I understand."

The four of us walked past the main gate. Because of our "mission", we were allowed to pass with ease. This was finally it. We would see Sasuke.

**haha****1**** = mother in Japanese**

**musume yo****2**

**That's Chapter 1! If you like it, REVIEW! If you don't like it, REVIEW. If you are neutral Switzerland in WW2, REVIEW! Bahaha anyway, I have a poll on my profile, with what pairing you guys want. In a couple weeks, maybe, I'll announce the winner, or I won't. mwahaha. Anyways, here are the choices:**

**SasuSaku**

**NaruSaku**

**SaiSaku**

**KakaSaku**

**Or… OTHER. (review and tell me who, mmkay?)**

**Okay buhhh byees(:**

**(I'll probably update soon, since I like this story.)**


	2. It Couldn't Be Him

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, "Where are we going?"

"I've got Pakkun ahead of us. He's following Sasuke's scent." He answered.

"His scent? How did you manage that one?" I asked. The environment between the four of us was too tense. Naruto, of course, is hung up on finding Sasuke, and that makes him serious. I know we have to be serious when we find him, but I want to talk, and even… have a little fun right now. It's no use being tense right now.

"His house." He answered plainly. Kakashi motioned for us to stop.

"Why are we stopping now!? I've got tons of energy left. We should continue the search!"

"Calm down, Naruto. We won't find Sasuke on the first day. If we did, it would be too easy." Sai explained. He gave that fake smile of his. And, honestly, it was kinda cute.

"He's right. Are we setting up camp here?" I asked. Kakashi nodded, so I pulled out my sleeping bag. He had picked a good spot to set up camp: a little field in the middle of huge trees. I laid down on my sleeping bag, resting my head. How are we supposed to get Sasuke back? He has made it VERY clear that he doesn't want to go back to Konoha. What are we supposed to do?

I looked up to see two eyes staring at me. "What the hell are you staring at, Sai?"

"What are you thinking about?" he said, almost seductively. He was also sitting a little too close for comfort.

"Huh? What do you mean?" That is not how Sai usually acts. It's getting me nervous.

"Well, you usually get your water and everything ready before you lay down. I don't understand why you didn't today."

"Oh. I'm just tired. Thanks for caring though." Why didn't I tell him the truth?

"I don't care. I was just curious." … That is pure Sai. He is so thick sometimes.

"Hey! Sai! Get away from Sakura-chan!" Kakashi yelled in a baby voice. Wait… Kakashi?

"Kakashi-sensei, that is SOO not funny! I don't say stuff like that! Do I, Sakura-chan?" Naruto complained.

"Sorry Naruto, but you kinda do." I answered. He slumped over, looking betrayed. "But…" I didn't know what I should say to him, "but… it's not as annoying as how Kakashi said it."

"TOLD YA KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto screamed. I was about to say, 'but I think it's cute' and I'm glad I didn't. That would have lead him on. I definitely don't want to do that. Do I?

"I'm gonna sleep right next to you. Okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto interrupted my thoughts.

"That's fine," I yawned, "But keep your hands to yourself." I laid back and closed my eyes. It wasn't long before Sasuke entered my thoughts. I haven't seen him in a five whole years. I wonder what he looks like. I pictured him when he was 13 and I tried to make him look older, but I just couldn't. I still saw him as a 13 year old. Our reunion is going to be interesting.

* * *

Suddenly, everything faded to black, and I was being shaken.

"Sakura! Sakura, wake up!" a familiar voice called out to me.

"Sakura-chan! Please wake up! We need your help! Kakashi's dead!" I recognized that voice. It was Naruto. I forced myself to open my eyes and saw our little campsite in flames.

"What the hell happened here?!?" I questioned. By now, I was freaking out. I didn't even remember falling asleep. I was about to heal Sai's badly injured right arm, when a kunai came at me. "Seriously, what's going on?!"

I looked over to Naruto, but he was tearing up. "Sas-… Sasu-….ke" he mumbled. After that, Naruto and Sai collapsed to the floor. Sasuke?

"Naruto! Sai!" I ran over to them, pushing my healing chakras into them. I kept trying, even though I could no longer feel a heartbeat.

"Eh Sakura-_chan_, I've been wondering when you would wake up." No. It couldn't be. _He _did this? No, it's not possible.

"Y-You? Did th-this?"

"Hn. It's to be expected. After all, I couldn't have you interfering with my plans, now could I?" he explained. When did he get so… evil? "Sorry, Sakura-_chan,_ I know you want be to be your knight-in-shining-armor, but that's not what I want to be. I don't want you. Never did, never will."

"Stop screwing with me. Why are you so positive that _I _want you still?" I yelled. He was really pissing me off.

"It's simple. You. Still. Love. Me." He smirked. That son of a bitch smirked.

In less than a second, he was directly in front of me, mouth against my ear. "So, before you die, I'm almost positive that I know what you want."

"Shut up! You don't know a damn thing about me!"

"Hah! I know EXACTLY what you want. You want me to fuck you, don't you?" He started nibbling on my ear.

"Get the hell away from me!" I protested. I tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. How strong was he?

"Hmph. You're making this difficult. I was only trying to give you what you wanted, but you blew it. Sorry Sakura-chan." His lips were moving on my mouth now. "Goodbye."

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**HEHE! CLIFFY! sorry about that, but if you want me to update soon, you gotta review because I got no reviews for the last chapter :( PLUS, im on spring break, so I have loads of time to write**

**ANyways, PLEASE REVIEW... there, I begged.**


	3. Please Stay With Me

**Sorrry! I think I might be developing a reputation for late updates… ****I would say that I was busy, but that would be a lie. I really haven't been motivated enough since ****ABSOLUTLEY NOBODY**** reviews this story (except for pharix, my favorite fan) So anyways, enjoy this chapter(:**

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"DON'T!" I shrieked. But instead of being pressed up against Sasuke, I was laying on something warm. It felt so good, that I could care less to what it was.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" A familiar voice asked. I opened my eyes to see Naruto staring at me. His eyebrows were scrunched into an expression of worry.

"Oh, we're in heaven. Where are Kakashi and Sai?" I asked matter-of-factly.

"Heaven? Sakura-chan, I think you just had a nightmare." A nightmare? It felt so real, though. I suddenly became conscious of my situation. I just had a nightmare… and Naruto was holding me in his arms.

"AH! I told you to keep your hands to yourself!" I yelled, even though I didn't want him to let go.

He kept a hold on me and said, "Sorry, you kept thrashing around and I was worried. Just fall back asleep. I'm on watch right now, so I can still hold you to make sure you don't have any more nightmares." Being unbelievably tired, I gave into his request. Fortunately, I had no dreams or nightmares, but the thought that I was wrong in letting him hold me, when I could not return his feelings haunted me throughout the night.

"Listen up!" Kakashi announced in the morning. "We are going to search for the Akatsuki first."

"What!? The Akatsuki! We're supposed to be searching for the teme!" Naruto hollered. He obviously didn't see the logic in Kakashi's thoughts. If we find the Akatsuki(mainly Itachi), then we will run into Sasuke at one point. He explained this to Naruto, and we started moving. Pakkun and his dog team had found the scent of two Akatsuki members.

"Does he know who they are?" I asked. Please let it be Itachi. Please let it be Itachi.

"Yeah, it's Deidera, the one who was with Sasori, and another unidentified member." He answered.

I smirked at the thought of the puppet boy. '_Damn Right! I beat him!_' I thought.

"Crap. Not Itachi." Naruto whined. I thought this too, but we were still headed towards the Akatsuki duo. Why?

"Dickless, I didn't know you were also brainless." Sai said.

"WHAT THE HELL, SAI? DON'T CALL ME THAT!!"

I could feel my cheeks changing to a shade of pink that matched my hair. Even though I didn't say it, I was thinking the same thing as Naruto was. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Huh? Ugly, don't you already know?" Sai said innocently. Damn his nicknames.

"No, Homo, I don't." I retorted. Take that nickname and suck it! **(A/N: If you have a better nickname for Sai, tell me in a revieww) **

"Homo? What does that mean?" Sai asked, confused. Naruto and even Kakashi were chuckling in front of me.

"It means your-" Naruto started.

"-amazing." I finished. _Messing with Sai could be fun_, I thought. Naruto and Kakashi looked at me questioning. I just waved them off.

"Ahh. So I'm homo… which also means I'm amazing?" Sai asked. Seriously, did this guy know anything?

"That is correct." I confirmed. The smirk on my face was clearly visible, but since Sai was behind me, he didn't notice it. Kakashi stopped us in front of a large bush. Through the leaves, I could see Deidera and an orange masked Akatsuki member.

"Kakashi-sensei, who is that?" I whispered. He shrugged and looked back at them.

"Deidera-sempai! Let's go! We need to find the Hachibi!" The orange one whined in a VERY childish voice. _What the hell is wrong with that one?_

"Tobi! Shut up! We'll go in a minute. I feel shinobi chakras close by, yeah." Deidera said.

We all looked at Naruto. "Heh Heh. Funny thing… I forgot to.. uh… mask my chakra…" _Greeeat. Just what we need. _Kakashi stood up and walked towards the Akatsuki freaks.

"Yes, that would be me." He said. I was about to stand too, but Kakashi motioned for us to stay down.

"No, it's not you, yeah." Deidera corrected. A kunai flung straight for Naruto's head, but missed and hit his leg. "It's him."

"OW! GOD DAMMMMIT!" Naruto screamed. Quickly, I pulled out the weapon and started to heal him. "No, Sakura-chan. I'm alright." I was about to protest, but Naruto stood up, his wound already healed. It always amazes me how fast that boy heals.

"So, you've brought the Kyuubi to us, yeah. That's convenient." Deidera smirked.

"Where's Itachi?" I demanded, standing up when Sai did.

"Itachi-sempai? He's-" Tobi started.

"Shut it, Tobi." Deidera stopped him. He turned to Naruto. "I'm sorry, but you'll be coming with us." Deidera threw what looked like a million tiny spiders on me… wait me?

"What the hell?!" I yelled. I defiantly HATED spiders.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto screamed.

"Ah. I knew it. You're fond of this girl, yeah?"

"Keep her out of this!" Naruto yelled while trying to pull the white clay spiders off of me. "What the fuck are these things anyways!?" He was panicking.

"What are they, un? They are a work of art."

"A work of art?! I HATE SPIDERS!" I cried. _Calm down Sakura. You're panicking Naruto even more,_ I thought.

"You imbecile! Have you any clue to what a work of art is!?" Deidera smirked evilly. "Art is…. AN EXPLOSION!"

Simultaneously, one of the spiders exploded on my arm, and it hurt. DAMN did it hurt.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Kakashi asked. He and Sai were standing next to me, not knowing what to do. These two were Akatsuki after all.

"I'll make you a deal, yeah. Come with me, fox boy, and I'll detach my art from your girlfriend other there, yeah. If you don't, well you know." Deidera announced.

"Yeah! Tobi knows! Cherry go BOOM!" the orange freak yelled.

"Naruto… don't go… its-"

"Fine, I'll go." He said.

"Naruto! Please DON'T do it! Please!" I begged.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry. I have to go, or…"

"CHERRY GO BOOM!" Tobi screamed. I looked down, and the dirt was being dampening by his tears. Naruto started to slowly walk forward

"NARUTO! PLEASE! Don't leave me alone again! Please! Without you, I have nothing. My life is expendable. Yours… Yours is more important. Please! Nobody is at home, missing me, But you… So many people are waiting for you to go home!" Before I knew it, my own tears were now wetting the ground.

"Shut up. Sakura-chan, don't think so lowly of yourself. Tsunade- baa chan, Kakashi-sensei, even Sai. They'll miss you! _I _would miss you! I'd rather be _dead _than to live without you, so I have to go!" He was now facing me. His cerulean blue eyes were so damp and clear. His eyebrows were now fixed, pleading me to let him go.

"N-No. Naruto, I… I could not live without you either." I whispered. I thought that might make him stay. But no. I was wrong. He turned around and started walking again.

"Naruto! Come back here!" Kakashi ordered.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sai, Sakura. If you try to stop me, you won't succeed. If I cannot protect those closest to me, I am a failure. I will protect Sakura-chan."

Kakashi ran up to Naruto. "I mean it. Stop trying to stop me." Naruto threatened.

There was a poof, and a smoke cloud. Suddenly, a thousand shadow clones appeared. "Goodbye. Save Saskue for me." The real Naruto said, and disappeared behind the shadow-clone wall. We tried to fight through it, but there were too many. _I can't get to Naruto!_

Five minutes later, the spiders started to fall off of me. One by one. I collapsed to the ground, knowing that Naruto was with Deidera and Tobi.

_I can't convince anybody to stay with me. Not Sasuke and Not Naruto. Who will leave me next?_

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**AHH! That was probably my favorite chapter so far! What did you think? Review please? MOTIVATE ME TO UPDATE! lol**


	4. The Wrong Ones

I wake up in something warm. _Must be Naruto._ "Thanks, Naruto. I didn't have any more nightmares." I whispered, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"Sakura…" a voice responded, but it wasn't Naruto's voice. No, it was the low baritone voice of Kakashi.

"K-Kakashi? Where's Naruto?" I asked, confused.

"You don't remember?" he asked. I shook my head. _Remember what?_ "Deidera, Tobi, the spiders… you don't remember?"

What the hell is he talking about? What happ- … _No._

I remember. He's gone. He wouldn't stay with me. My eyes threatened to water, but I held my tears back. I must have already done my fair share of crying. Now that I was fully awake, the cool breeze that hit me as we were moving froze me. I could probably run on my own, but I didn't say anything.

"Where are we going?" I questioned.

"Searching for Akatsuki." He answered, only it sounded more like a question than a statement. For whom are we searching for the Akatsuki for?

"Naruto or Sasuke?" I mumbled. Kakashi sighed, but before he could respond, Sai did.

"Sasuke."

"Huh?! Sasuke! They could be extracting the Kyuubi from Naruto right now!" I yelled. Naruto could die, but Sasuke will always be there. "Sasuke can wait."

"No," Kakashi huffed. "The Akatsuki need to extract the Hachibi before they can do anything with Naruto, so he'll be fine. If we want to save Naruto though, we need all the help we can get, especially Sasuke's help."

"Especially Sasuke's?" I questioned.

"Yes, Sasuke may help us. His target is Itachi. Our target is the Akatsuki. Itachi is a member of the Akatsuki, so we have a common enemy. Plus, since you _were_ on a team with him long ago, you will have great teamwork. It's the most logical answer." Sai spurted out.

Nobody talked much after that. I for one was trying to figure out why I was getting so happy all of a sudden. Was it because Naruto will be fine for a while? Or was it because we may see Sasuke soon? I couldn't figure it out, so I'll just say it's because of both.

"Sakura, I'm going to put you down now." Kakashi informed. I stepped out onto the dry grass. There were tall, fat trees towering above us, almost protectively. "We're setting up camp here."

I was about to protest, but I couldn't speak. My legs went numb, and I collapsed to the ground. _How embarrassing. _"Sakura, are you okay?" Sai asked uninterested.

"Yes. Thank you for helping me up, Sai. I am just fine." I spat. To my surprise, he actually came over to help me up. "Thanks." I muttered, less sarcastic.

The moment I got up, though, I fell again. "WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled. _What is wrong with me? I can't get up._

"Sakura! What's wrong? Get up." Kakashi ordered, panicking. I couldn't talk anymore. "Let's Go! Get-"Kakashi dropped to the ground too. He was shortly followed by Sai.

"C'mon. These are the wrong people!" I could hear a man whine. "Hey bitch! I thought you said there were two powerful chakras here! It's not him!"

"DAMMIT!" an equally whiny girl yelled.

"He'll be mad. You're in deep shit…" The man eerily spoke.

"Who will be-" _…that voice._ "Ah. The wrong people… again."

**So Sorry it's short! AAND a cliffy, but it's not a hard cliffy to figure out… I might update this very soon, possibly today, because I'm in a writing frenzy! LOL**

**PLEASE REVIEW! IM BEGGING YOU! IF YOU DON'T… I won't update… ever again. ………………………………….**

**Ok fine, I'll prob update, but it might not be very good.**


	5. A New Team

"S-Sas…ke." I whispered. How could we find him so easily? Wait… we didn't find him. _He _found _us._

"Well, well, well. It's been a while." He said.

"Sasuke-kun! You know them?" the whiny girl asked. Her voice was really getting on my nerves.

Sasuke just nodded. I looked over to Kakashi and Sai. "What should we do?" I whispered so only they could hear me. They didn't answer. "Can you talk?" I asked. They strained to shake their heads. _Why am I the only one who can speak?_

"Sasuke. Release us. We just want to talk." I spoke calmly.

"Just talk? I don't think that's all you want to do." I thought about begging, but that would make me seem weak. I had to break free on my own. It was like the gravity was multiplied, sucking me into the ground. I tried to pick myself up using my arms, but I wouldn't budge.

"Trying to break free, are we? You're stuck in a gen-jutsu. You can't escape until I release you." He smirked. _Now I really have to break free. He's so full of himself!_

I continued to pick myself up, and even though it felt as if a huge weight was pressing me down, I pushed myself to my knees. Panting, I mocked Sasuke, "Oh, I can't escape until you release me. Please, mighty Sasuke-_kun_, release us."

"Hn." Sasuke sighed. His face wasn't in its unemotional state. Now, he looked half surprised, half pouty. He was acting like a baby. But, he released the gen-jutsu.

"Sasuke-kuuun! Why'd you let that girl win?" The red-head whined.

"Seriously, girl. You need to stop whining to him like a baby. It's not attractive." I sub-consciously said.

"What the hell, bitch? You don't know Sasuke-kun like I do." She retorted.

"Karin. That's enough." Ordered Sasuke. She pouted and glared and sent me the death glare. "What are you doing out here? A mission to bring me home." He added cockily.

"No. As a matter of fact, it has absolutely **nothing** to do with you," I uttered.

"Actually, ugly, it does somewhat involve him." Sai corrected. _Dammit Sai!_

"Hn. Is that true?" Sasuke smirked. I was fuming red. _That cocky bastard!_ _How could I ever love someone like him!_

Kakashi, noticing my rage, answered for me. "Partly. We need your help. Whether you decide to help us or not is your choice."

"Help with what?" They grey haired man that was standing next to Sasuke questioned.

"Well, we have issues with the Akatsuki." Kakashi calmly answered. Sasuke clenched his fist.

"What issues?" Sasuke demanded.

"We need to save Naruto." I said.

"Naruto?"

"Yes, they captured him because of the Kyuubi. We need to get to them before the extraction."

"Why would _I _help you with _that_?" he retorted.

"Because, Sasuke… Naruto was your friend! Isn't that reason enough? How could you just sit around knowing that one of the few people that care about you is dying!" I boomed. _Woops. I got carried away there._

"No, it just saves me the hassle of killing him myself."

_How could he say something like that? Isn't he human?_

"Sasuke, if that isn't a good enough reason, there is still another one. Itachi Uchiha will be present at the extraction ceremony." Kakashi explained.

"Sasuke, we better go wi-" the shark boy started.

"Fine." Sasuke grunted.

* * *

We had an agreement, more or less. Sasuke was to help us until Naruto was safe. After that, we would let him do as he pleased. There was another condition, though I'm positive Naruto will hate me for this. Sasuke said that he was not going back to Konoha. The condition was for us to give up on him. In truth, I knew Naruto wouldn't give up on him; I would just have to act like I would.

"Nice to meet you again, Sasuke-san," Sai said staring down at him, wearing a fake smile. Sasuke just looked up from his work and glared. He was labeling a route to where the Akatsuki base might be.

Seeing as it was already sunset, we decided to set up camp. The problem was that we only had 3 tents, and they were meant for one person. Fortunately, we had enough sleeping bags for everyone.

"Sakura, Sai and I are going to catch some fish and water at the pond a few yards away. Can you get a fire started while we're gone?" Kakashi asked, but I knew it was an order. I nodded, and began to gather some firewood. It wasn't long before I had the flames going. I looked over to Sasuke, who was still working on his map.

"Where should we go first?" I asked, kneeling next to him. I felt uneasy talking to him. He was definitely not the same Sasuke Uchiha from the academy.

"Ah, we'll head to the hidden rain village. There are a couple of towns where many of the Akatsuki members visit frequently. Their base should be near there," Sasuke answered unemotionally.

There was a silence between the two of us for a moment. "So what were you doing back there? Y'know, with that gen-jutsu and all?"

Sasuke finally looked up at me. My eyes traced from his pursed lips, to his pitch black eyes. To my surprise, they were staring right at me, filled with both hurt and anger. Sasuke paused, but answered me, "I heard Itachi was coming through that area looking for something. We were hoping to catch him, but kept catching the wrong people; that's how we found you." I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, Karin! You were supposed to only find strong chakras!" yelled the fish boy named Suigetsu.

"I was, dammit!" she whined back. Sasuke's three teammates were sitting on the floor, near the fire.

I whispered low enough so only Sasuke could hear, "Are those two, like, _together_?"

He chuckled lightly (an action I thought Sasuke was incapable of doing) but shook his head.

"Hey, Pinky!" yelled Karin, "What the hell do you think you're whispering about, huh?" She got up from her seat and started to walk towards me.

"You, obviously!" Suigetsu teased. Karin was now right in front of me, kneeling. I could almost feel her breath on my cheeks.

"Get off of me," I warned calmly. She then replied with a rude, "Make me, bitch." I wanted to teach her a lesson so bad, but I knew that it would only set us back if she was unable to move. So, I got up started to walk to the closest tent.

"Oh, are you scared? Cherry Blossom doesn't wanna fight?" Karin teased. I just let it go, and stepped into the tent. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" she complained and continued to whine for a good 10 minutes. I just couldn't take it anymore.

I popped my head through the door, "Sorry, If I fight you, you'll be incapacitated and I'll be inconvenienced," I sighed.

"Not that, idiot!" She screamed. I shot her a look of confusion, "That's _Sasuke-kun's_ tent!" My face turned to a shade darker than my hair. I kept my uncaring face though, trying to brush it off.

"So what? We have to share anyways." I said as I lay back in the tent. I could hear Karin fussing about Sasuke and I sharing a tent. Soon, Sasuke yelled at her, and she became quiet. Kakashi and Sai returned shortly after, and I prepared dinner. Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Juugo went into their tents. The arrangement was that I, Karin, and Sasuke shared a tent: Kakashi and Sai shared a tent, and Juugo and Suigetsu shared a tent.

Karin went to a hot spring nearby to bathe. She kept insisting that Sasuke came with her, but he just ignored her pleas.

"Goodnight Ugly," Sai patted my head as he went to his tent. Now, Kakashi and I were the only two still eating.

"Sensei, I've been meaning to ask you something," I said.

"Shoot," he slurred.

"Why did you come with us? You had a great life back in Konoha. You were greatly respected, getting a fresh, new team soon, and I don't think you'd waste that just so we could _maybe _bring Sasuke to his senses," I huffed. I've actually been thinking this for a while, but could never think of the right way to say it.

Kakashi sighed and I could see through his mask that he was smiling, "I didn't do it for Sasuke. I did it for you and Naruto. Well, and Sai too, I guess. You say that I had a great life back home, but what did I really have?" He paused for a moment and I could see him getting married soon, having shinobi children running around. "I don't need the respect. Who cares what anyone else thinks, right? A fresh new team? What's wrong with the one I already have? I really don't have that many friends, and if they don't accept me back, then they weren't friends to begin with. I have no blood-related family. You, Naruto, and Sai are the closest people to me. Team 7 is just one big happy family," he joked.

I didn't know that Kakashi felt this way about us. I thought that to him, we were just the team that screwed up. I thought he wanted to get rid of us as soon as possible.

"Thanks," I smiled, patted his head, and headed to Sasuke's tent. This was another problem entirely.

* * *

_**Hey guys, I'm back! im soo soo soooooo sorry for not updating this whole summer! im not going to make an excuse for why i didn't, i was mostly just lazy, but my dog died of cancer a couple weeks ago, and i've been pretty depressed. I am not giving up on this story, but ive had nomotivation recently. You can all thank pharix for this chapter. So, I tried to make it long, and I hope to update again soon. It will probably be sooner if you reviewed! (:**_


	6. Was it Worth it?

**A/N: Update soon! WHATTTA JOKE! I am realllly sorry, but at least its up now, please enjoyy this lengthy chapppie... OH, BTW, I hate to do this, but I won't publish any more chapters until this story gets 20 reviews total. C'mon guys. Is that really so hard? MOTIVATE MEEEEE(:**

**IMPORTANT: this story is officially SasuSaku. Sorry all you NaruSaku fans, but its just working better this way. **

* * *

I took a step towards the tent and took a deep breath. _Why am I so nervous? I'm just going to share a tent with him._ _Nothing's going to happen. _I reached out and unzipped the tent slowly. It made some noise, but thankfully Sasuke was already asleep. He was lying in the middle of the tent, with a sleeping bag on each side of him. I slipped into one, trying to fall asleep. Sasuke's slow and heavy breathing distracted me though. It reminded me of when we were 12 and on the same team. Team 7 went on numerous missions together, sharing tents like this. Sometimes I wish that I could go back to that time, and try to give Sasuke a reason to stay with us.

After what felt like hours, I heard another unzipping of the tent. There was shuffling, and then I heard Karin's voice. "Sasu-kun. Wake up." She must have thought I was asleep.

Sasuke grunted, "Go to sleep, Karin."

"Sasukeeee, don't you want to play?" she seduced.

"I'm serious. Karin, back off." Sasuke warned. I smirked under the sleeping bad. I could hear Karin start to caress Sasuke, and he backed up into me. I could hear some other noises, and someone patted my sleeping bag.

"Sakura, wake up," Sasuke whispered. I popped my head up to see what he wanted, "Can you switch spots with me?" I nodded and slipped out of the sleeping bad. He did the same, and we switched. Once I got in his sleeping bag, the warmth surprised me. It was so hot! Another thing that surprised me was Karin's fist punching my side. I retaliated with a sharp knee to her stomach. Slowly after that, I started to fall asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, the sky was a deep purple. Karin was still sleeping next to me, taking up all of the space, but the other sleeping bag lay flat and empty. Without thinking, I got up outside the tent to look for the other…? I didn't know what to call him anymore. _Traitor? Enemy? Teammate? Friend?_ None of those titles seemed to fit Sasuke for me. Many others knew him as the traitor. He wasn't my teammate anymore, as much as I didn't want to believe that.

The fire was still going, giving me some light to see. I didn't expect to see the man sitting shirtless next to the campfire. He was covered in what I think was water from a bath. His arms were resting on his knees, looking frustrated instead of relaxed.

For a moment, I just stared at him. His facial expression was different from normal. He looked… _scared_.

I walked over to him slowly, with a warm smile on my face. "Hey, I was wondering where you went." I said from behind him.

Sasuke wiped his face, and his expression went back to normal, almost like he was putting on a mask. "Aa." Thousands of thoughts ran through my mind: Questions I wanted to ask him, things I wanted to know…

"Sasuke?" I asked timidly. He only cocked his head towards me, signaling that he had heard. This wasn't going to be easy if he wouldn't talk, "Why…" I paused, rephrasing my question, "Do you think it was worth it?" I spoke in barely a whisper.

He stared at me with his left eyebrow raised questioningly.

"L-Leaving the village, I mean…" This was a question that kept me awake at night. It popped into my head the very night Sasuke left. I imagined an alternate universe, where Sasuke had stayed and grew stronger with Team 7. First, I had only felt sadness, but as I matured, forcedly by the very man beside me, anger had risen inside of me, balancing with the sorrow.

For what seemed like forever, there was nothing but the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. I had almost given up on receiving and answer.

""I don't know yet. Itachi is still alive. Even I did, I probably wouldn't tell you." He stated matter-of-factly. That answer, a short 3 sentences, made it feel as if my ribcage was tightening and squishing my heart.

"…Why?" I tried to stay composed. _Don't cry. Don't cry. You're stronger than that. _Sasuke seemed taken aback to my question. I searched his face for answers, but it was futile. His expression was unwavering.

"Why? Because, _Sakura, _you're nothing to me anymore," His face was hard, jaw clenched, eyes constantly changing its focus. Sasuke Uchiha was a bad liar. I sighed, not believing what the man said, because, I would not give up on him. He needed someone, possibly me, possibly someone else, that showed him enough love and care to make him start caring for other people too.

The Uchiha stared at me with disbelief. In his mind, I was supposed to run away and cry in my tent like I used to. _Not anymore, I've grown up._

"So what are you doing out here anyway?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Just thinking," He sighed. It looked like Sasuke wanted to say more, but he was restraining himself.

"C'mon," I pushed, "You can tell me." He said it was nothing again. "Sasuke, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone; Pinky promise." I extended my right pinky towards him, hoping he would do the same.

He sighed deeply, unsure of what to do. Hesitantly, Sasuke entwined his pinky with mine. "… I had a nightmare a while ago, and I've just been sitting out here thinking." I took another look at him. His face was buried in his hands, and his body was shaking. I looked at him even closer, and could see that he was panting heavily, but trying to hide it.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, cringing and looking at the ground. I really didn't want to see his face if he said no. I waited for him to say something, but he never did. So, I looked up to see him in the same position as before, but shaking. "Sasu-" I started, but I started to see his tears fall to the dirt. The sight was pitiful, yet also beautiful, because it was a rare one. _What should I do?_ I asked myself.

Instinctively, I reached out to rub his back. I've never seen Sasuke like this. He has always kept to himself. Even in the chunin exams, with Orochimaru and the cursed seal, he didn't cry. Not wanting to pry it out of him, I took his hand and led him to the tent. He kept his face away from me, not wanting to seem weak, I guessed. I opened both of our sleeping bags, laying one on the floor for a comforter. Sasuke collapsed onto it, and I pulled the other sleeping bag over him. Carefully, I slipped under the covers next to him. Sasuke squeezed my hand, and I rubbed my thumb across his knuckles lightly to comfort him. Up until now, I thought nothing of what was going on. But, I became aware suddenly and felt awkward. I was under the same sheets as my childhood crush. This could either be very bad or very good. It was most likely both.

* * *

I was the first to wake up in the morning. I rolled onto Sasuke on accident, and he was drenched in sweat. _Probably from another nightmare._ I slid out of the tent, hoping not to wake Sasuke or Karin up.

One by one, members woke up and joined me by the still going fire. Neither Sasuke nor I said anything more about what happened the night before. "Listen up!" Kakashi ordered, "We're heading for Kirigakure today. Time is not on our side, so we should be fast, and rests should be short and only necessary. Understand?"

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold up. Why are we taking orders from this gramps, Sasuke?" Suigetsu questioned.

"...Gramps? Sorry if you didn't realize it yet, but your hair's prematurley gray too, granpappy." Kakashi childishly retorted. Suigetsu murmered something like a _'jump off a cliff, asshole.' _Kakashi chuckled, but explained,

"Why, you ask? Well, I am the least biased person here. For example, Sasuke only wants revenge. Sakura only wants to save Naruto. Suigetsu, it seems you only wabt Zabuza's sword, and to be honest, you're not the brightest one of the bunch. Juugo's too quiet. Karin's too busy with pleasing Sasuke. And Sai... you just have problems.

Clearly offended, everyone stomped off and packed. We headed out, and for the next couple of days, traveled nonstop to the Village Hidden in the Mist.

_Naruto, we're coming._

**A/N: Eww. I hated that ending, but here it was. REMEMBER WHAT I SAID, KIDDDDIES. (: hehehehee peaccccce.**


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